Zaire's bishops hit at government

THE government of Zaire has failed to implement promises of democratic reform and has brought the population of the country to "indes.cribable misery", the nation's Catholic bishops have claimed.
In a statement which strongly criticised President Mobutu Sese Seko and the one-party rule of his Popular Movement of the Revolution, the bishops said that advocates of democracy in Zaire were persecuted and had become "the objects of crude jokes". The bishops' message was read to congregations throughout the country last week and was signed by the 12 members of the executive committee of the bishops' conference. Just over half of Zaire's population of 33.5 million is Catholic.
"Our country is experiencing political and socio-economic crises of extreme gravity," the bishops said. President Mobutu, in power since 1965, promised moves towards political reforms last April.